Giant localised spin-Peltier effect due to ultrafast domain wall motion in antiferromagnetic metals

• Published in: Communications physics Vol. 3; no. 1
• Main Authors: Otxoa, R. M., Atxitia, U., Roy, P. E., Chubykalo-Fesenko, O.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 06.02.2020; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 639/766/119/1001; 639/766/119/997; Antiferromagnetism; Domain walls; Electric currents; Electron spin; Ferromagnetism; Heat; Heat generation; Object recognition; Peltier effects; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Spintronics
• ISSN: 2399-3650; 2399-3650
• DOI: 10.1038/s42005-020-0296-4

Spin thermo-electric phenomena have attracted wide attention recently, e.g., the spin Peltier effect—heat generation by magnonic spin currents. Here, we find that the spin Peltier effect also manifests as a heat wave accompanying fast moving magnetic textures. High speed and extreme magnetic excitation localisation are paramount for efficient transfer of energy from the spin-degrees of freedom to electrons and lattice. While satisfying both conditions is subject to severe restrictions in ferromagnets, we find that domain walls in antiferromagnets can overcome these limitations due to their ultrahigh mobility and ultra-small widths originating from the relativistic contraction. To illustrate our findings, we show that electric current driven domain wall motion in the antiferromagnetic metal Mn 2 Au can carry a localised heat wave with temperature up to 1 K. Since domain walls are localised magnetic objects, this effect has the potential for nanoscale heating sensing and functionalities. The spin Peltier effect describes the temperature modulation of a system in response to a spin current and has potential application for thermal nanosensors. Here, the authors theoretically demonstrate that for an antiferromagnetic system, via the spin Peltier effect, a current driven domain wall can carry a localised heat wave with a temperature of 1 K.